Oscillator



1960 D. L. SPEELMAN 7 2,949,298

OSCILLATOR 7 Filed Nov. 3. 1958 OSCILLATOR Daniel L. Speelman, Rte. 1, Box 374 New Market, NJ.

Filed Nov. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 771,637

1 Claim. (Cl. 272-1) This invention relates to an oscillating perch. I

It is an object of this invention to provide a sway perch self-propelled for simultaneously exercising and entertaining children. 7

It is another object to provide play equipment having the motion of the crows nest of a sailing vessel.

Still another object is to provide a device of inexpensive construction, of lasting durability and simple manufacture.

These and other objectives of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing a stationary base, a flexible section secured to the base, a column secured to the flexible section and a platform secured to the top of the column,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified flexible section showing the use of a single helical spring,

Fig. 3 is a further modification showing the use of a leaf spring in lieu of the coil spring of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a further modification showing the use of four loop springs as the flexible section,

Fig. 5 is a view of a rocker modification,

Fig. 6 is a View of another modification showing the use of a plurality of sloped or guy springs to secure the pole in a normally vertical position,

Fig. 7 is a section view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 1 of the modification of Fig. 3 having three vertically disposed spaced-apart coil springs.

Fig. 8 is a section view taken on line 8-8 of the modification of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 9 is a section view of the modification of Fig. 5 taken on line 99 to show the manner of captively holding a rocker element in a groove or channel element.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Fig. l a base 10 as, for example, a suitably long cement block embedded or disposed vertically in the ground 11 is provided with three vertically disposed coil springs 12 suitably embedded in the concrete block at the time of making the block 10. The three springs are suitably disposed on the apices of an imaginary triangle in suitable spacedapart relationship so as to contactingly receive a shaft 13.

Shaft 13 meets the various coils of the three coil springs at a point of tangency. Preferably the shaft 13 is a hollow steel shaft and is welded to each coil spring 12. Other means of securing coil springs 12 to shaft 10 are operable, for example, metal straps, etc.

The shaft 13 in the modification of Fig. 1 preferably does not extend so as to contact base 10, but shaft 13 may be modified so as to be provided with a round or semispherical end disposed in contact with block 10.

The shaft 13 is normally vertically disposed and the coil springs 12 are of sufiicient strength to permit a child to climb the rungs 14 of the shaft 13 without undue movement of shaft 13 from its vertical position.

The shaft 13 is of a suitable predetermined length and is provided at its top with a perch 15. Perch 15 is preferably of a rectangular'configuration but it may be round or otherwise. r

Perch 15 is provided with a bottom frame 16 made, for example, from angle iron and secured to a plurality of braces 17. Braces 17 when of metal are secured to the shaft 10 preferably by being welded thereto. The perch 15 may be made of metal or wood or a combination of metal and wood. A conventional platform 18 is secured to the bottom angle iron framework 16. The platform 18 is provided with an aperture disposed about the shaft 10 to permit a child to crawl therethrough.

The perch is also provided with a conventional peripheral hand rail 19 of suitable height to retain a child, said hand rail 19 being secured to the bottom framework 16. I. a

In operation a child located on platform 18 steps toward the rail 19 thereby shifting its weightto-cause the perch 15 to move in the'direction of movement of the child. By suitable shifting of the childs weight. the shaft 13 is made to oscillate in the manner of an inverted pendulum. l r I Turning to Fig. 2, there is shown a modified spring means for securing shaft 13. In this device a single coil spring 12 of suitable strength is embedded in concrete block 10 and shaft 13 is disposed within the interior of the coil spring 12. Preferably but optionally shaft 13 may be welded to coil 12 or otherwise secured thereto as by straps, bolts, rope, etc.

Fig. 3 shows a leaf spring 20 used to sway the perch 15 in but one plane in lieu of the universal movement of the springs of the device of Figs. 1 and 2. Leaf spring 20 may be a single spring or of multiple leaves. The spring 20 is preferably welded or otherwise secured as by bolts to a pair of angle plates 21 disposed on each side of the base of spring 20. The angle plates 21 are secured to the cement block 10 as by suitably long bolts with nuts 22 embedded in the block 10. The spring 20 may be inserted into pipe 13 and secured thereto as by welding. Preferably however, the leaf spring 20 is provided with a set-back 23 or ledge 23 upon which the baseof shaft 13 rests, the spring 20 being provided with an integral extension 24- of suitable width and length disposed within shaft 13 (Fig. 3).

Turning now to Fig. 4 there is shown a further manner of flexibly securing shaft 13 to stationary block 10. In this modification preferably four loop springs 25 are used. More than four loop springs as well as less than four loop springs are operable however. The loop springs 25 are provided at the ends of the horizontal base legs 26 with vertically depending integral rods 27 said rods being embedded in the concrete block 10.

Loops 25 are each provided with an upright arm 28, which preferably is welded to the outside wall of metal shaft 13 (Fig. 8). The loops 25 are so disposed that the shaft 13 tangentially contacts the four upright arms (Fig. 8).

Fig. 5 shows still another modification in which the shaft 13 is disposed centrally in a cradle consisting of four holder plates 30 each having a curved cradle runner 31. The runners 31 are each disposed on a support base 32 preferably provided with a top channel to receive runners 31 (Fig. 9).

The holder plates are each provided with a recessed ledge 33 upon which the shaft 13 rests. The plates are provided with runners of suitably curved configuration to permit a smooth swaying movement of the shaft 13. The bases 32 are suitably embedded in the concrete block 10 and the shaft 13 is preferably welded to the back wall 34 of each of the plates 30.

A spring 35 is secured as by welding to an adjacent pair of the metal plates 30 and the metal bases at their re- 2,949,29 Patented Aug. 16, 1960 I spective ends thus effecting a return of a rotatively displaced plate back to its normal position.

Fig. 6 shows still another modification in which a plurality of about three or preferably four or more guy springs 40 are used. In this modification thev concrete block 10 is provided with a centrally disposed firmly embedded rocker plate 41 having a semi-spherical cavity therein. The shaft 13. is modified (Fig. 6) with a small rounded point so as to effect apoint of tangency. The guy springs 40 are secured to shaft 13 as by welding, bolts. and nuts or straps. Where. four guy Springs are employed they are disposed at right angles from one another.

A garden stake 42 is hammered into the ground through bottom ends of the guy springs 40 thereby securing the.

guy spring to the earth. Otherconventional means of device comprising an immovable base, spring means. fixedly secured in said base, a longitudinal normally vertical shaft secured at its bottom to said spring means, a platform perch secured fixedly to the top of said shaft, said immovable base consisting of a heavy block having interlocked channel bars immovably embedded therein at right angles to each other, a plurality of rockers secured to the bottom of said shaft and adapted to be disposed in the channels of said bars, said spring means being secured to the respective ends. of. said rockers and said bars for returning said shaft to a normally vertical position, and a plurality of ladder rungs disposed in spacedapart relationship in said shaft whereby a person mounts said shaft to said perch for effecting oscillatory motion to said perch by shift of body weight.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

